Special AntiqueWeekend Show Edition

All week our blog will highlight show sites, events, shopping ideas and answer frequently asked questions "FAQs" surrounding the twice-annual Round Top-Warrenton AntiqueWeekend.  This event lasts for three weekends and the weekdays in between in the spring and fall.  More details can be found at AntiqueWeekend.com  

Cool idea.......

as seen at the Junk Gypsy World Headquarters.  When you are shopping at AntiqueWeekend, or scouring the garage sales and antique shows in your area don't pass up a pretty patterned plate because of a chip.  And don't toss out a favorite at home because it got broken.  Do what the Junk Gypsies have done and use those pretty plates and platters as garden edging!  Add cottage style to a corner of your yard with this clever idea!

Show spotlight: Marburger Farm

This legendary show site featured in many magazines opens Tuesday morning for early buying 10am-2pm $25 on Tuesday until 2pm.  Tuesday hours are 10am to 5pm. Admission gets you in April 1 through 5.  Huge tents and antique buildings house one of a kind antiques and artisan goods.  Show is located on SH 237.  Parking is free with paid admission.  For more details see their facebook page or their website:  Marburger Farm

AntiqueWeekend After Dark: 

Many shows are staying open later, so you can shop until dark, or later.  Fayetteville square stays open until 9-ish. 

What to do after the shows are closed? 

For live music try:   Stone Cellar in Round Top; Zapp Hall and Marketplace in Warrenton; Texas Rose Antiques on SH 237, Arbor Antiques on SH 237

Need an adult beverage while shopping??? 
Arbor Antiques Martini Bar, full bar, 11:00am to 11:00pm. 
The Round Top Rendezvous Bar has wine and beer and they are open late for shopping and sipping. 

Good eats: 

The food at AntiqueWeekend is as much fun as the shopping!! Every show site has food so you don't have to leave when you get hungry.  This week we'll have a food spotlight every day (see Bistro 108 below) but here is a short list of our favorites:

Dillard’s Field: Country Chic Catering

Zapp Hall, Royers Café show venue

Texas Rose Antiques:  Texas Rose Cafe: awesome chicken salad, pimento cheese

Henkel Hall in Henkel Square: Bistro 108 at in Round Top in Henkel Hall (see below)

Blue Hills: Methodist Men BBQ, and Latte on the Square

The Round Top Rendezvous: Kim’s bakery and Shivers Shaved Ice

Arbor Antiques:  Martini Bar full bar and breakfast/lunch/dinner menu

Food spotlight:

Bistro 108, in town, or show location in Henkel Hall, Henkel Square Market, Round Top

 

Chef Susan of Bistro 108

One of our favorite places to eat is Bistro 108, located just off the courthouse square in the heart of La Grange.  Call for reservations during the show, or visit their show location at Henkel Hall on the square in Round Top.  Many favorites from their La Grange restaurant were on the Fall 2013 show menu.  We enjoyed the field green salad with salmon.  Friends at the table raved about a beef and brie sandwich, and the decadent “fudgie wudgie” cake.  The hall is a pleasant place to eat, high ceilings, good acoustics, and air conditioning, which make it a good destination for visitors to the Round Top square area.  







Beautiful china jewelry from Blue Door

Kathy Johnston of the Blue Door in Henkel Square has a great trunk show set up in the foyer of Henkel Hall showcasing china jewelry, beeswax candles and many more unique items. Henkel Hall also features a charming Smithville antique dealer who is selling wonderful restored antique Texas chairs with hide seats. 



Love these Texas chairs, one from our hometown went home with us!



FAQs

Hours:

around 8:00ish in the morning, till the last shopper leaves in the evening, unless it is a site with specific open/close hours and then they will end at a specific time.  Marburger, Big Red Barn and Carmine Hall have specific open/close hours and days.  Check our calendar here.  Some charge a parking/entry fee. 

Parking:

there is parking adjacent to every show site.  Many parking areas are located behind the shows along SH 237, some are free and some charge a modest fee, $5 is the going rate this Spring.  Some are church parking lots and the fees are a fundraiser. 

Cash, Check or Charge, yes please. 

ATMs, too. The banks in Round Top (Round Top State Bank), Carmine (Carmine State Bank), La Grange (multiples on the square), Brenham and a couple of show sites and gas stations have ATMs.  The vendors welcome cash, many take credit cards and some take checks.  Plan ahead. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lace and Old Windows

I spotted this beautiful lace framed in an old window while walking through Warrenton, Texas during AntiqueWeekend a few shows back.  I saved the photo and it comes back to haunt me every now and then.  I love old windows, we have quite a few out in the shed.  I also love old lace.  I have made it a policy lately to buy vintage lace doilies and table cloths of any and all types and sizes whenever I see them at garage sales and flea markets.  Lace is beautiful and destined to be a lost art. When you are wandering the Round Top and Warrenton shows this spring and see an old window, think how pretty it would look framing lace, hanging in your kitchen or bathroom window in place of traditional curtains.  Bring a little of the country back to your house.

Chalkboard Oil Cloth

I love chalkboard paint on anything.  I have seen it on children's tables, on silver trays, walls and doors.  For my daughter's wedding we used it in picture frames for signage and table numbers.  During the Fall 2013 AntiqueWeekend David and I walked along SH 237, the main road through Warrenton (Texas).  A rack of brightly colored oil cloth caught my attention.  In addition to 40’s-style vintage patterns, he had a black “chalkboard” oil cloth. 

Sure enough it was easy to draw on.  It’s perfect for anyplace you would instantly like the chalkboard effect without using paint or permanently changing a surface.  It’s a great table cloth for a kid’s event or craft table…they can chalk to their heart’s content and then wipe or remove!

Watch for the oil cloth guy in Warrenton on SH 237, you can't miss those bright colors!

The Farmhouse Chandelier

While still in California, on one our regular Saturday garage sale hunts, we came upon a wonderful multi-family sale.  As David looked at the tables, I spotted a wonderful chandelier.  Heavy iron painted a rustic cream, with animal silhouettes and “meat hooks”. It looked like it could have hung in a butcher shop and been repurposed to add lights.  It was not old or repurposed, but it caught my eye and I stood in line (at a garage sale!) to buy it. 

 

A few months later David had lunch at a swanky “see and be seen" restaurant, The Ivy in Beverly Hills.  Hanging above a table occupied by actor James Coburn was the very same chandelier!  At the time we were living in a California ranch house and I was collecting Danish modern furniture and globes.  David asked what I intended to do with a farm-themed chandelier.  This was about the time that Rachel Ashwell was beginning her shabby chic empire, hanging chandeliers as light fixtures in bedrooms and living rooms.  I decorated our guest room around this chandelier. 

 

But I also told David that someday we would have a little farmhouse of our own and we would hang this chandelier in the dining room.  We have our farmhouse, and the chandelier is hanging in the dining room.  Buy things you love and you will always find a place for them.  As always, happy hunting!

 

 

 

 

How About Big Numbers!

One of my favorite things are Big Letters.  We see these all over the show sites as I posted earlier.  We used a giant "M" purchased at Northgate Field in Warrenton for my daughter's wedding.  Here are some images from HGTV "Ways to Fill Up Your Walls" showing a great decorating use for the big letters, or in this case big numbers, and something new: vintage book covers.  For the numbers, HGTV suggests using numbers that have some significance to you, such as your birthday or wedding anniversary.  They also suggest anchoring the display with a piece of furniture.

Use letters or numbers that have meaning to you, your birthday or anniversary!

When you visit the show sites of AntiqueWeekend you will see old books in many of the booths.  Here is a great use for just the covers!  For books that have damaged pages but interesting covers, remove the pages, flatten the covers and hang on the wall.  Find books with hollow spines so the pages can be easily cut out with a craft knife.  This is a great idea for renters because these could easily be mounted with sticky tack without damaging walls.  The HGTV design works because the covers are solid colors and tie in with the collection of objects on the dresser top.  I'm going to hunt for children's books. I think they would be perfect for this.  Vintage children's books are often so “loved” that the pages are tattered, but the colorful graphics on the covers would look great on a nursery wall or a child's bedroom.

 

Tie in the color of the covers with the accessories below.

 

As always, happy hunting!

So many great IDEAS!

Have you ever seen an interesting "thing" at a show site and wondered what you would do with it? I am so inspired by the bloggers and merchants I see online.   One Kings Lane is an online merchant with great staging ideas.  They beautifully showcase one-of-a-kind items.  The very type of items you will find in the fields and show sites of AntiqueWeekend. 

A blogger I enjoy is Georgia's Home Inspirations.  Like we do, the gals at Georgia’s love prowling the show sites at Round Top and Warrenton, finding unique items and including them in their decor. They have a great idea for displaying serving trays.  Vintage trays like theirs abound at all the show sites.  Silver or tole painted, plain or fancy, they are both practical and attractive.  Rather than letting them end up collecting dust in the attic, Georgia’s Home Inspirations posted a wonderful piece on decorating with silver trays. 

Check out this and other photos on their site for ideas before you shop this spring. http://www.georgiashomeinspirations.com/2014/01/silver-tray-array.html 
Watch for vintage French linen like the pillow on the couch at the shows, too!
As always, enjoy the hunt!

Start Collecting!

The many, many shows which make up AntiqueWeekend are about to begin.  The tents are going up and the trucks are being unloaded.  Start your "idea list" (if you haven't already!) and carry it in your pocket or on your phone.  When you see that great item snap it up, working your way back to that spot may be difficult and the item may be gone. 

 

 

 Red or blue?

My dad always says that three of something makes a collection.  The shows sites of Antique Weekend are the perfect place for an instant collection.  These dealers followed one of the classic decorating rules: grouping like items.  If you love blue glass, for example, group several pieces together in one spot to display it.  It will be eye-catching like these displays of blue and red glass from the Fall 2013 shows in Warrenton.  Personally, I am drawn to the blue color, but also love to collect something I can enjoy using...these red goblets and bowls would make a beautiful Christmas or Valentines table...or make Tuesday extra-special!

 

 Bring your list, start the hunt, and take home a treasure!  Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Things I love: Yard Sticks

Treasure hunting at AntiqueWeekend is more fun if you are looking for something specific.  We have a list and I call it "things I love".  I'll be blogging about these during the days leading up to the shows to give you ideas.

I love yard sticks.  They are practical, decorative and old-school.  I have a favorite rescued from Grandpa Bob's house.  Its over-sized, longer, wider and heavier than most.  I use it to slide open the living room curtains.  A new one, a square shape, is from the old hardware store in Bird-in-Hand, PA where David and visited one very snowy January.  And yes, it came home to Texas in my suitcase! 

 

This group leans in the corner of my living room by the front door ready to answer that "how tall is it" question, or slip under the sofa to retrieve a hard-to-reach toy.  I always have my eye out for the kind that are hinged and fold up into a more compact size.  I have seen those made into picture frames.  The advertising information imprinted on the vintage yard sticks adds to their charm, long-gone businesses promoting their location and merchandise.  Grandpa Bob's features "Joe's Auto Glass", no telling where they are now! If you gather up a bunch, and can bring yourself to cut them to size (I can't!), they can be repurposed to create a wonderful table top.  As always, enjoy the hunt!